Take Precautions to Minimize Port Erosion

Take Precautions to Minimize Port Erosion

A safe rule of thumb is to keep port velocity at the heat exchanger around 20 ft/sec. In addition, consider port liners of the same material as the plates, even on water applications. These liners, available in many different alloys, will protect the carbon steel head from erosion and corrosion in high flow,

abrasive applications. As an example, in a sea (salt) water application, it would be common to use a carbon steel frame with titanium port liners and plates. This practice ensures that any components in contact with the seawater would be constructed of the corrosion-resistant titanium.

Figure 4. Several components make up a plate-and-frame heat exchanger. If your heating or cooling needs change, you can accommodate the new requirements by adding or deleting plates within the frame.